With the year of the dog almost upon us, we round up a list of stars who love man’s best friends

We’re a few days shy of turn of the Chinese New Year, and unless you haven’t been out of the house at all, you’d have seen the dog-year inspired decoration (and even clothes!) all around town.

Dogs may be the ‘in’ thing in the coming year (but seriously guys, please don’t buy a cute puppy on a whim without knowing the responsibilities that come with a permanent addition to the family), but there are some celebs who adore our furry, tail-wagging friends year in, year out.

Be it Romeo Tan, whose artistic shots of his furkid, Tigger, make our hearts melt a little more, or Belinda Lee, whose heartwarming tale of how Man Man was given a new lease of life when their paths cross, we round up the local celebs whose love for dogs will restore your faith in humanity once again.

Read on for more.

Lin Meijiao, Chantalle Ng12 Feb 2018

Lin Meijiao, Chantalle Ng

Chantalle Ng has always been open about her love for furry friends (both cats and dogs), but did you know that it was her mum, Lin Meijiao, who introduced the concept of fostering to her? The mother-daughter pair were familiar faces at SOSD Singapore’s adoption drives when they used to foster dogs, and never shied away from making their efforts to advocate adoption known.

In a previous interview with Toggle, Chantalle shared that her “Singapore Special”, Pretty, was originally one whom they were fostering, but over the span of over half a year, they fell in love with her and decided to adopt her instead.

In one of her many Instagram posts with Pretty, she added the hashtag #RescuedIsMyFavBreed, proving that with love, every pup can blossom.

Photos: Chantalle Ng/Instagram

Desmond Tan12 Feb 2018

Desmond Tan

If you’re a follower of Desmond’s Instagram, chances are, you would have seen Hoshi and Udon pop up on your feed more than once.

Hoshi, who turned 8 in December, was joined by his little brother Udon in March 2016. Udon, who was adopted from Voices for Animals (VFA), quickly grew up from a little pup who could be held with one hand, and has since become an adorable boy who causes trouble at home every now and then (he gets away every time with his puppy eyes, however).

Better yet, Desmond also enlists the help of both Hoshi and Udon to raise awareness for both VFA and Action for Singapore Dogs (ASD), both of which rescue and rehome hundreds of furkids a year.

Photos: Desmond Tan/Instagram

Rebecca Lim12 Feb 2018

Rebecca Lim

You might have seen Goldheart’s latest series of ads with Rebecca Lim and an adorable dog, but did you know that Yoda was a rescued furkid? VFA founder, Derrick Tan, shared the nugget of information on his personal Instagram account after the ads went up, sharing that rescued animals bloom once they find a home of their own.

Rebecca also shows plenty of love for her “old man” Ruffles, who has graced many a cover with her throughout their years together. He turned 14 last April, and we’re hoping he and Rebecca have many more love-filled years to spend together.

Photos: Rebecca Lim/Instagram

Romeo Tan12 Feb 2018

Romeo Tan

Romeo is one local celeb who can do more than act – his photography chops have impressed us on more than one occasion. One such example was his recent photos of his mini schnauzer, Tigger, which he shared on his Instagram account. “Shot some awesome pictures for my girl’s tinder profile account,” he captioned the snaps.

He has also taken the opportunity to spread awareness of some ailments that can plague your furry friends, including the dangers of womb infections in female dogs (the pictures that accompanied his post were pretty gross, for real).

The actor also shares awareness for rehoming projects on his social media platforms, including when he put up the post of Romeo (the Chihuahua) looking for his Juliet (a fur-ever home).

Photos: Romeo Tan/Instagram

Belinda Lee12 Feb 2018

Belinda Lee

Now, this is one love story we could definitely get behind. In October 2016, Belinda adopted Man Man, a Japanese Spitz who was used as a breeding dog for seven years, and later abandoned. Thankfully, she found her way to the VFA shelter, and was later adopted by Belinda.

Since going home with Belinda, Man Man has transformed into a beautiful girl who not only has a warm bed to sleep on, but also is taken on frequent walks and is constantly showered with love from Belinda and her loved ones.

Over a year later after adopting Man Man, Belinda posted this heartwarming photo with the caption, “I am soooo glad we found each other..... I ❤ you very much 满满！#mybestfriend满满 (sic)”. The smile on not only Belinda, but Man Man’s face is all that we need to know that this pair is a match made in heaven.

Photos: Belinda Lee/Instagram

Yasminne Cheng12 Feb 2018

Yasminne Cheng

Yasminne gives us all the wanderlust feels with her constant vacation pics, but did you know that she has a super cute furkid too? Hershey the Corgi (she even has her own Instagram account, because why not?) not only has free reign of her home (we’ve spotted her lounging on Yasmmine’s bed on more than one occasion), but she also gets home cooked food made with love by her mama.

They’ve also had twinning looks on more than one occasion (just look at those berets!) and we have no doubt that Yasminne showers Hershey with lots of kisses (pun intended) and love all year round.

Photos: Yasminne Cheng/Instagram

Dennis Chew12 Feb 2018

Dennis Chew

You might know Dennis’ French bulldog, Snow (we literally watched this little one grow up!), but Snow recently welcomed a new member of the pack, Coffee the schnauzer. Adopted from VFA late last year, Coffee not only welcomes hugs (who wouldn’t?), and looks right at home in Dennis’ recent photos of her at home.

While she might have only been in her fur-ever home for a couple of months, we can’t wait for her to blossom even further with the love that we’re sure Dennis (and Snow) are showering on her. Jiayou, Coffee!

Photos: Dennis Chew/Instagram

Elvin Ng12 Feb 2018

Elvin Ng

In yet another happily ever after, Elvin met Bagel in October last year and while she “was a breeder dog used for giving birth since she was young, lived in poor conditions, and has some trust issues as she’d shy away from any eye contact”, we’re happy to say that her formerly sad eyes now have a bright (and sometimes cheeky) glint in them.

While Elvin might have had to bid goodbye to his Jack Russell, Momo, shortly after welcoming Bagel to the family, we’re giving major props to the actor for having a heart big enough to give the furkids in his life all the love that they need and deserve.

Photos: Elvin Ng/Instagram

Jayley, Hayley Woo12 Feb 2018

Jayley, Hayley Woo

We vividly remember what Jayley and Hayley said when we were in Seoul with them last year: “We miss Bui Bui!” In case you haven’t been introduced to one of the most important people in their lives (apart from their parents and each other, of course), Bui Bui Woo (yes, he also shares their surname), is a Pomeranian who’s the object of the twins’ affections.

Not only does he have his own Instagram account, he’s also loved by every single member of the family, and also makes frequent appearances on Jayley and Hayley’s respective Instagram accounts during special occasions, such as the Mid-Autumn festival and the Lunar New Year.

We can’t wait to check out Bui Bui’s CNY outfit this year – the little furball is definitely one strong contender for best dressed every time he’s dressed up to the nines.

Photos: Jayley Woo/Instagram, Bui Bui Woo/Instagram

Nathan Hartono12 Feb 2018

Nathan Hartono

Not only does Nathan adore his pupper Nicky, he even has his own hashtag, #ihartanimalz (I heart animals) for whenever he hangs out with other furry friends. The majority of his snaps, however, are dedicated to Nicky, whom he quipped has a “rbf (resting b*tch face) that gets “worse with age”.

While we sometimes joke that Nicky looks like she can’t wait to get away from Nathan (her rbf has really been perfected over the years), we have no doubt that deep in her heart, she adores her human very, very much.

Whenever Nathan jets to a different country for work, he never fails to post a snap of Nicky sharing how much he misses her, and proceeds to upload a snap of them reunited (with Nicky looking visibly unimpressed) when he’s home. Aww.

Photos: Nathan Hartono/Instagram

Tay Ping Hui12 Feb 2018

Tay Ping Hui

It’s been over three years since Ping Hui bid goodbye to his shih-poo (shih tzu-poodle cross) Buffy, but his story of unconditional love is still firmly embedded in our memories.

Back in 2014, when he was filming Mind Game in Kuala Lumpur, he was notified that Buffy wasn’t going to make it, and he drove all the way back to Singapore to see her, spent about three hours with her, when she passed away in his arms.

In a touching tribute to her, he wrote on his Instagram, Thank you for teaching me about unconditional love and for making my life so much more meaningful for the past 15 years. You may have left us, but you shall always have a special place in my heart forever. Rest in peace my dearest Buffy. I love you.”

Julie Tan12 Feb 2018

Julie Tan

It’s not uncommon to see celebs start Instagram accounts for their pets, but Julie took things one step further and has an account for each of her furkids – Sir Waffles the Mighty (we’re not kidding about his name), and Tinklebell.

Tinklebell was the first addition to the family, and Sir Waffles the Mighty joined the pack in March last year. These two pampered pooches not only have comfy beds to sleep in, but also frequent grooming (and spa!) sessions, along with all the love they could ever want from their mum, Julie.